Child friendly toothbrush with 360 degree bristles

ABSTRACT

We have invented a new toothbrush which we believe will make brushing teeth more pleasurable to children. The toothbrush has bristles arranged in a 360 degree pattern around the head. Alternatively, the bristles are arranged on both the top and bottom surfaces of the head. As a result, hitting of the gums and the inside of the mouth with the uncomfortable plastic surface of the head of the brush is eliminated, making brushing less objectionable to small children. The toothbrush may also be enjoyed by adults, as it massages and cleans the inside of the mouth at the same time that teeth are brushed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Young children often resist brushing their teeth which may lead to tooth decay. Children do not enjoy brushing because they find the toothbrush uncomfortable. Although many different child toothbrush designs are available, their focus is mostly the appearance of the toothbrush rather than the comfort of brushing.

To encourage brushing by children, toothpaste manufacturers have been coming up with many varieties of attractively flavored toothpaste. However, tasty toothpaste, although enjoyed by children, does not make brushing more comfortable and is too often quickly licked off the toothbrush.

We have realized that the main reason for child's aversion to brushing is the design of the toothbrush head, in particular the plastic part of the head to which the bristles are attached. That plastic part of the head of the toothbrush hits the inside of the mouth during brushing and feels uncomfortable to the child. During-teething, brushing with such traditional toothbrush may be even very painful.

Therefore, we have designed a child friendly toothbrush without the uncomfortable plastic part of the toothbrush head. In the preferred embodiment of our invention, the head of the toothbrush has bristles arranged around it in a 360 degree pattern. The head of the toothbrush may also be rectangular or oval, with bristles on the top and bottom surfaces. Such toothbrush is much more child friendly than the available toothbrushes in that there is no hitting of the gums and the inside of the mouth during the brushing with that uncomfortable plastic head.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

We have invented a child friendly toothbrush which will make brushing more enjoyable for children. In the preferred embodiment, the head of the toothbrush has a head with bristles arranged around it in a 360 degree pattern. The head may also be rectangular or oval, with bristles on both the top and bottom surface. Such toothbrush, in a larger size, may also be used by adults, as it is not only more comfortable but it also adds the benefit of brushing the inside of the mouth and the gums at the same time as the teeth are brushed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Young children often resist brushing their teeth which may lead to tooth decay. Although many different child toothbrush designs are available, their focus is the appearance of the toothbrush rather than the comfort of brushing. Similarly, although there is a plethora of attractively flavored toothpaste for children, children are generally more interested in licking the toothpaste off the toothbrush rather than brushing with it.

Having two young children who often resist brushing their teeth, we realized that the main reason for their aversion to brushing is the design of the toothbrush head, in particular the plastic part of the head to which the bristles are attached. That plastic part of the toothbrush head hits the inside of the mouth during brushing and feels uncomfortable to the child.

Therefore, we have designed a child friendly toothbrush without the uncomfortable plastic part of the toothbrush head. In the preferred embodiment, our toothbrush has a head to which bristles are attached in a 360 degree pattern, with no part of the plastic head making contact with the child's mouth. The head of the toothbrush may also be rectangular or oval, with bristles on the top and bottom surfaces of the head. Such toothbrush is much more child friendly than the available toothbrushes in that there is no hitting of the gums and the inside of the mouth during the brushing with that uncomfortable plastic head.

Our toothbrush is not only more comfortable, it also provides an added benefit of brushing the gums and the inside of the mouth at the same time that teeth are brushed. It is well known that gums and the inside of the mouth should also be brushed to rid the mouth of tooth decay causing bacteria, but most people, and certainly children, often fail to do that.

Our toothbrush is not limited to children toothbrushes, it also encompasses toothbrushes for adolescents and adults. Our toothbrush is more comfortable to the mouth and provides the important benefit of simultaneously brushing the gums and the inside of the mouth. For people who already engage in the cleaning of gums and the inside of the mouth, this toothbrush design cuts the time needed in half as it cleans the gums and the inside of the mouth at the same time that teeth are brushed. Although there are in the prior art toothbrushes with gum massaging features, there is no toothbrush designed to brush the gums and the inside of the mouth at the same time as teeth are brushed.

The toothbrush of this invention consists of a head and a handle, which are connected to each other by a neck. As shown in FIG. 1, the head of the toothbrush consists of a plastic or rubber cylinder from which extend bristles arranged in a 360 degree pattern around the head. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the head may also be rectangular or oval, with bristles on the top and the bottom surface of the head. The neck of the toothbrush can be straight or bent. The handle of the toothbrush can have the conventional flat shape or be cylindrically shaped. The diameter of the head cylinder may vary depending on the length of the bristles, for optimal comfort. The bristles of the toothbrush may be soft, medium or hard, although the preferred ones are soft, particularly for children. pg,6 

1. A toothbrush consisting of a handle and a head, connected through a neck, wherein the bristles are arranged in a 360 degree pattern around the head.
 2. A toothbrush consisting of a handle and a head, wherein the bristles are arranged on both the top and bottom surfaces of the head. 